Stránka:roll 1917.djvu/298

266 Woodcraft Manual for Boys
bundle of old newspapers as dry as possible, lay the plant fiat on
one of them, spreading the flower as you wish it to remain, put
the other papers on top and then a board; last, a heavy weight.
If the room and the papers are dry, the plant will be dried In
three da3rs. Then stick it on one of the sheets in the portfolio
with a few strips of paper across it here and there. Then write
the time and place on the sheet, also the name as soon as you can
find it. And it is easy to get the name when you have the speci-
men. There is sure to be some botanist within reach.
If you gather and preserve half a doz^n wild flowers each time
you go out in the season, you very soon have the fifty that are
needed to win you a coup.
But you are also getting something else — a lot of pleasant
friends that you will remember and be glad to see as long as you
live.
Of course, there are some plants that are much harder to handle
than the Uverleaf , such as the jewelweed, which are so juicy
that they must be reset on new dry paper perhaps two or three
times. Some have roots so big that they are better left off, and
some are so big that one must select a small example or take
only a sprig; but always get the flowers, if possible.
The Trees are also very easy because they may be found in
town as well as in country. Their flowers are usually up high
and come in the spring. They may be difficult to see, but if one
studies the leaves, the bark, and Uie general shape of the tree,
they will be readily identified, so that one can see and know an
old friend at considerable distance. The leaves and flowers may
be preserved in the same way as the flowers.
The best tree books are by Keeler, Apgar, Hough, Sargent,
Britton, etc.
The Birds are the true love of every young naturalist, and the
only reason for giving them third place is that they are harder to
study than flowers and trees.
You cannot walk up to the bird, at once note its every color
spot, and so find who he is. You must make hasty notes through
an opera glass and then turn to a handbook, unless you have a
bird-sharp friend with you or a specimen in your hand.
Therefore, oh, bird lover, begin with a notebook, a field glass,
and a copy of Reed's Bird Guide. Later when you really get
acquainted with the birds you will want Chapman's Handbook.
These books give a sketch of the habit and range as well as a
description of the plmnage, nest, and eggs.
The Quadrupeds J or Animalsy as they are commonly called, are
the most interesting of all to most people; but are the hardest of